These Swallowed Prayers
by LovelyDream306
Summary: "You went to slay the beast…" the older witch sneered, causing Ochako to flinch at the harshness of her words. "...but you fell in love with it instead." Kacchako Fantasy AU (drabble-esque)
1. Prophecy

_**A/N: So I've always wanted to write something for the Kacchako Fantasy AU that is always so well received and I'm happy to announce my take on the favored universe and I could honestly say I'm nervous lol. To me, the Fantasy AU is something that needs to be developed over time and I feel like not anyone could just take the plot and write it so that's why I always hesitated in working on this AU simply because my version is not a full blown story. **_

_**The chapters in this will be short… much shorter than your average story like literally less than 300 words per chapter but I'm hoping that what I write will be enough to get the point across. That being said, since the chapters are so short I'm thinking of posting a chapter every day except weekends (I'm currently 20 chapters in in my files though it is far from finished) **_

_**This will be strictly Ochako/Katsuki centric. **_

_**Should I really be posting another fic? No but I couldn't help myself lol. **_

_**Anyway, I'll leave you here! **_

_**Enjoy! **_

_**Summary: "You went to slay the beast…" the older witch sneered, causing Ochako to flinch at the harshness of her words. "...but you fell in love with it instead." **_

_**Rated: M**_

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_**Prophecy **_

It is said that a witch born with the white mark on her wrist is destined to slay the great beast that resides deep within the forest.

When she is of age, she will set out to find this beast.

When she is of age, she will kill this beast.

But right now she is merely a child,

Wide-eyed and oblivious to the heavy burden on her shoulders.


	2. Dream

_**Dream**_

He dreams of blood, of being in complete _agony. _

It's a nightmare that comes to him constantly. Every night he feels his chest tightening, like he's struggling to breathe. He recognizes that it's fear.

But this time it is not blood that he dreams. Tonight he dreams of something _warm_, comforting; a field of white daisies.

The tightness in his chest is gone and he doesn't think he's ever felt so at peace.

He smiles in his sleep.

He dreams of a girl with flowers in her hair.


	3. Mark

_**Mark **_

When asked about the mark on her wrist, Ochako can't help but feel nauseous.

It's a disturbing reminder of what she is to fulfill and she avoids the question, changing it into something that's less of a burden… like the lovely weather they are having.

When she is alone, she stares at the hideous two white dots her wrist. It's sickly white compared to her healthy pale complexion— an ugly blemish that has her lips turning downward in distaste.

She grimaces when she touches it. The texture of the mark is rough, resembling that of a scar but it is _warm_; much warmer than her normal body temperature and she pulls on the sleeve of her witch's garb to cover it.

Such an ugly mark should not be so warm.

_Pt. 2 _

Katsuki hasn't noticed it before… the mark on his hip.

Two black dots that are warm to the touch, symmetrical in way that is almost elegant. Close but they are not touching.

He finds himself unable to look away.

How long has that mark been there? It's a question he can't answer.

What does it mean? He isn't sure if he wants to know the answer.

He finally decides it's nothing to fuss over.

He decides they're nothing but two black dots.


	4. Friend

_**Friend**_

When Kirishima visits, Katsuki finds his presence to be welcomed.

The redhead is loud and obnoxious but his words are sincere. He is never afraid to speak his mind and maybe that's why he kept him around for so long.

It reminds him of another friend who he hadn't seen since he was child. A boy who had gotten lost in the woods… a boy who he treated poorly but over time he grew to respect him. His equal in every way.

Kirishima is no different.

This is a bond he is determined to keep— one that will last multiple lifetimes.

This is someone he could trust completely.

This is someone he cannot risk losing.


	5. Expectation

_**Expectation**_

Today she is seventeen years old.

Tomorrow she will be eighteen.

She will now be of age to fulfill the prophecy. The elders in the Witches Keep will be expecting great things from her. They have taught her everything she knows, they will expect nothing less.

Izuku says, "You don't have to go through with it."

She turns to look at him incredulously, unsure if she heard All Might's successor correctly. How ironic is it to hear Luxor's hero, a boy who was destined to bring peace to the seven realms, say that she does not have to fulfill the prophecy?

She would have laughed if the look he was giving her wasn't so intense. She shakes her head. "I appreciate your concern Deku, but this is my fate."

Today she is seventeen, tomorrow she will be eighteen.

And she is expected to have the beast's blood on her hands.


	6. Strange

_**Strange**_

Something about the air doesn't feel right.

It's off putting.

It's strange.

The birds are silent, the wild animals are gone. Katsuki had left the cave he calls a home and now he finds himself staring at a lake, crouching as he cupped his hands into the cool water and brought the liquid to his lips.

It was a mistake on his part, even more so when he closed his eyes to relish the feeling of water going down his throat, because in the next minute he found himself forcefully pushed to the ground with a sharp pain on his side. It doesn't take long for him to realize that there is a dagger nestled between his ribs, painful and dangerously close to his vitals.

"How lucky am I to find the barbarian beast wandering the forest alone! The gods must love me." A raspy voice drawled, his knee pressing painfully on his back, "Your head is worth millions. You're going to make me rich boy."

Katsuki winced, ground his teeth as he felt the man remove the blade from deep within his rib cage, and he dug his nails into the soil beneath him in an effort to stay conscious.

Sparks crackled in his palms.

This will not be the death of him.


	7. Pain

_**Pain **_

A string of curse words tumble from his lips as he willed himself to stand.

The body of his attacker is now nothing but a pile of ash at his feet. He holds no remorse for the would-be corpse. He puts one foot in front of the other, forcing himself to move despite how heavy his body felt.

He presses a firm hand onto his open wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

Pain was tolerable. Death was not.

He winces and he hisses and he curses as he kept his hand firmly in place.

Pain is tolerable.

Once he sees the familiar jagged entrance of his cave, he stumbles his way inside, and once he was deep inside, he clutches onto the familiar cold stone of a wall to keep himself grounded.

He lowers himself to the ground, stares at his bloodied hand, and exhales a ragged breath.

Pain… he could get used to pain.


	8. Farewell

_**Farewell**_

She sets out as the sun begins to set.

Izuku and Tenya made sure to walk her towards the entrance of the woods. Traveler and knight express their concern about the journey, they wish her luck in her endeavors.

Izuku made sure to tell her of a friend who resides in the forest. A man he hadn't seen in years but should be kind enough to give her shelter if needed.

Tenya gives her a charmed trinket for protection and she puts it in her satchel.

"We will be waiting for your return, Ochako." Izuku says with a warm smile, one she struggles to return.

"_You don't have to go through with it." _

She swallowed thickly, nods curtly. Hugs them both tightly before giving them her back.

She cannot bring herself to look into Izuku's eyes for fear of being unable to move forward.

She is unsure if she will ever return.


	9. Journey

_**Journey **_

As a child, Ochako always avoided the woods.

They were off putting.

They were strange.

She's heard stories of the beast she is to slay, of a monster with fangs, claws and beady red eyes. She's heard of the creatures who live in these woods. It would be a lie if she were to say she wasn't afraid.

She clutches onto her staff tightly, bringing it close to her chest as she ventures deep into this forest. Crickets chirp, frogs croak. In the distance she could see the winking lights of fireflies and the deeper she goes in, the more she finds herself feeling less afraid.

She begins thinks it is breathtakingly beautiful.

After hours of trudging through thick trees, tall grass, and slick mud, Ochako decides she will continue this journey the following morning and comes across a cave. Its entrance was jagged, covered in vines and she enters, too tired to inspect the surrounding area.

She doesn't notice the trail of blood staining the ground and she doesn't notice the bloody handprint on the wall.

She could hear breaths… of someone struggling to breathe and she freezes. After a moment of standing completely still, she closed her hand around her staff and willed the orb to shine… and gasped in shock.

Someone was in the cave with her...

And they were dying.


	10. Death

_**Death **_

Tolerating pain is easy. Death is not.

He could feel himself drifting in and out of consciousness, tells himself to only focus on breathing but even that was proving to be a difficult task.

There are times when he sees nothing but darkness and there are others when he could see nothing but blurred lines; a silhouette of someone looking over him but he convinces himself that it's only a figment of his imagination.

The only person who knows of his location is Kirishima but the man had already left home… only a fool would recklessly enter the forest so late in the evening.

Only an idiot with a death wish would enter his cave.

The prominent feeling of his pain is starting to dissipate. His world spins. His world stops. At times he forgets to breathe— other times he finds himself breathing rapidly at the return of his said _pain._

Something wet falls on his cheek.

He hears a voice but he doesn't understand what it's saying.

He feels hands but again he sees nothing but darkness.

It's a continuous cycle. Again and again to the point where he feels like he's going mad.

Pain is tolerable…

And maybe he could tolerate the idea of death too.


	11. Tears

_**Tears**_

Silent tears roll down her cheeks as she sits back and examines the work she had done.

His head rests on a crimson cloak. The wound had been completely healed. Medicinal herbs, vials and spell books are splayed about and she could only thank the gods that it wasn't too late when she found him.

How he managed to last so long with such a fatal injury was beyond her. Whatever he'd been hurt with was dipped in poison and that alone should have _killed _the man. He shouldn't have been able to move. He should have hit the ground the moment he'd been struck.

Never had she seen someone in so much pain. Never had she ever felt so worried for a life she didn't know.

This is the first time she's ever shed tears for someone who isn't a friend.

This is the first time her hands have been stained with someone else's blood.

The man is now in a peaceful slumber. His breathing is at a regular pace. The magic energy he exudes is no longer weak and faint. There is no reason for her to stay...

She knows she should leave… knows full well that her task is far from finished… yet she finds herself unable to move.

She decides to stay by his side until he wakes


	12. Why

_**Why**_

He's roused awake by the sound of firewood crackling.

The scent of smoke brings him comfort.

He groans as he makes the motion to sit up, winces at the expectation of being in pain but finds that there is none and his eyes widen at the realization, his hand immediately going to where he'd been hurt. There was no blood… no wound. He furrows his brows in confusion. Was it just another dream?

"I'm so relieved to see you're finally awake." A voice calls to him gently, nervously, his head snapping towards the direction from which the voice came. He frowns at the woman.

"You healed my wound." It wasn't a question but a statement. A known fact.

_It wasn't a dream._

An affirmative nod. "Yes."

"Why?"

She chews on her bottom lip. Hesitates. Looks at the ground in uncertainty before returning her gaze to him.

_Why? _

"Because it looked like you were in pain."


	13. Fool

_**Fool**_

He narrows his eyes at her in suspicion.

He backs away from her when she tries to approach him.

He insults her by calling her a fool and Ochako finds herself struggling to keep her composer and she balls her hands into fists at her sides. She bites her tongue in order to keep herself from saying something she might regret.

She finds him to be rather ungrateful.

"I don't need your pity." He growls.

"I wasn't-"

"I don't need your excuses either."

"If only you could just-"

"_Leave." _

She sucks in a sharp breath, furrows her brows as she glares at him and turns on her heel. She never should have stayed for so long… she never should have entered in the first place. Maybe she is a fool…

She grabs her belongings from the ground and begins to head for the only exit the cave has to offer with him hot on her trail, and before she was greeted by the chilling breeze of the forest, she could hear him say something under his breath;

"_You should have just left me for dead… you would be doing everyone a favor." _

It was hardly audible. If it wasn't so quiet it would have been impossible to hear it. She pretends she didn't.

After all, he doesn't need her pity.


	14. Scent

_**Scent **_

Katsuki feels like he's going insane.

His fingers absently brush against his now healed wound and is completely dumbstruck by the fact that there is no scar.

He duly notes the scent of flowers lingering around him. It's on his skin. On the things _she _touched. He decides he hates the smell.

Her scent should not be on his belongings.

Her smell should not be getting more and more prominent as time continues to pass.

It's irritating as hell but still, he continues with his day as if he isn't _bothered _by it.

The mark on his hip burns.


	15. Doubt

_**A/N: I know I said this was going to be updated daily and obviously I didn't stay true to that promise and for that I'm deeply sorry. It's been like a month since I've last posted a new chapter but I've been focusing a lot on school and work so that's been taking a bunch of the free time I normally use for fanfiction but I'll make sure to update whenever I can even though it's not as often as I'd like. **_

_**So I hope you all bear with me while I get myself together and I hope you enjoy this new installment! **_

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_**Doubt **_

When she asks people about the beast, Ochako finds herself deeply disappointed by their answer.

They tell her no such _beast _exists. At times they completely avoid the question. There are others when they flinch at the mere mention of the word.

She finds herself unable to distinguish the difference between those who are telling the truth and those who are telling a lie.

She huffs exasperated, debates on going home.

She is starting to think that maybe this beast doesn't exist.


	16. Memory

_**Memory**_

There is not much that Katsuki remembers.

He does not remember how he ended up in this cave or who had raised him. He doesn't remember his parents' faces. He doesn't remember their voices.

Then there are times when he remembers everything.

He remembers the days he's lived freely without a care in the world; how small everything was compared to him. He remembers the many times he's avoided death, the fear that swells within him at the thought of taking his last breath.

He remembers the friendships he has forged. He remembers the people who have helped him.

But then there are times he wishes never occurred.

There are times that don't deserve to be a memory.

(Like the woman who saved him.)


	17. Arrival

_**Arrival **_

When she returned to Sylvara, Ochako made sure to keep herself hidden until she was ready to see her friends and fellow witches. Though, that would prove to be a futile attempt.

The first to greet her after three days of staying out of sight was Izuku.

Shortly after, Tenya.

Almost a week in, Tsuyu.

It did not take long for the news to reach the elders in the keep.


	18. Mark pt3

_**Mark pt. 3**_

When Kirishima sees the mark on his hip, his face drains of color.

He stammers over his words and asks him if he knows what it means. When he stays silent, Kirishima continues to tell him of a mark that binds one's soul to another… tells him he's read it in a book during his travels.

It's a ridiculous notion… he finds himself in utter disbelief.

Katsuki scowls, unconsciously covers the two black dots with his hand and scoffs. "It's nothing." He says, because that's what he told himself. It's what he believes.

"It means nothing."


End file.
